The Handmade Children

Inspired

I was inspired by Nanny J.O.A.T's hub as well as getting ideas as I wrote my own comment to her hub. This one is dedicated to her. It is an extension of what she has wrote, with another angle on how to keep children entertained and to wean them off of technology. I would definitely recommend reading her hub as a prequel to this one.

The Proposal

Nanny J.O.A.T. raised valid concerns in her hub What to do When the Batteries Wear Out.
Children's toys are almost entirely electronic. Their babysitters are
the T.V. and the computer and the video game systems. Even the crib
toys give excuses to keep the baby in the crib longer for the parent's
peace of mind. Her fantastic proposal is to get them into things that
are *not* technology! That, and be the guide for your children, rather
than letting crib toys, tv, etc, to be the guide.

I have another one to go with that. Be the hand in your child's life.
Nanny says be the one to calm the children rather than letting soothing
toys do so. I propose that from the time of birth, be involved. Make
things for them, make things with them. For the children already
older, no time is too late to get started. Thus, the handmade
children, not the children of technology.

This means being hands-on. I like the word 'Handmade' because with
parents and community being hands-on as well as the children, getting
involved in creating things in their own world, they also handmake
their own Self. I think this in itself is more important than anything.

Simplicity In Itself

Click thumbnail to view full-size

Child with goop. Picture from craftvoyage.com.

Hand-sewn breakfast from indierocket.com.

Handmade puzzle from blueberryforest.com.

The Movement

There are a lot of parents out there that have discovered things they
can make for their own children. As a result, they have made their own
small profits by selling those for other people's children as an
inspiration and a goal to be involved with them. If you can't make
things, you can support those parents who do and use their products to
entertain and teach your child. In a way, this has become a community,
a village, with the sole intention of helping to raise today's
children. Etsy.com has become one such community, out of several
others.

Not only is this brilliant, it also gives parents something to do. The
parents of these children of this generation are just as bored as the
spawns are. The frustration of this sad economy we live in gives way
to the terror of unemployment. I believe giving these children
something handmade, something you have done yourself, is a cheap,
almost priceless, and high in quality. Quit promising them something
you can't really afford and give them something they'll remember for
years to come as we all survive this economy.

Things you can make for children or help children to make are easy to
list: Wooden puzzles, dolls, costumes, science kits, goop, musical
instruments, wall decor, hacky sack, treehouse, stuffed animal,
figurines, woven or sewed dishware, block sets, memory games, and many
more.

Also, for infants; create slings, improvise materials to use to hold a
child while doing housework, make decorative diaper covers or cloth
diapers, make textured and colored handpuppets for tactile stimulation,
create little soft worlds they can crawl through or roll upon, make
blankets with interesting things sewed onto them for their
entertainment, and many more.

Remember, you can also support parents who make those things and get the wonderful handmade items for children of any ages.

There are also movements that include intermittently turning off the tv
so kids can go outside or interact with the parents. This reduces the
electric bills as well as prompt parents and children alike to really
use their brain to eliminate boredom. I think a great idea would be to
have the tv and the computer off (parents and children included) for a
set amount of time out of a week, and use those times to play board
games, to go outside, to create things with pottery, paint, playdough,
clay, and many other mediums, to go to a park, to write a play to make
for youtube video, to start dialogues, to read together, create puzzles
and solve it, and many other things.

One such fun time is dress-up. I've noticed my stepdaughter still
enjoys playing pretend. She will play House and have a set plot to go
from. Her father and I will participate. She also will do a show for
us with her dolls, making up stories on the spot as she moves them
through the motions, and sometimes she will have us participate with
other dolls. She also likes pretending to be a career woman or the
house mommy or a pet. Alternatively, the boys will dress up in
military outfits and re-enact civil wars, with the critique and support
of their father (who has phenomenal memory in regards to all things
history, like dates, people, weapons, etc). They play with their clay,
molding into what they call clayman inspired from youtube videos, and
make up war stories and scenarios these claymen are thrust into. They
also like imitating German words and finding out what they translate
into, which is where I come in.

I recall days I learned math, chemistry, science, and English from the
simplest things when I was little. I noticed gravity on my own when
swinging and speculated upon it. I got involved in cooking, making
koolaid, shopping, and making lists of things I needed or wanted. In
remembering that, I enlisted the help of the two younger children one
day in making dinner. When it was time to eat, they both proudly said
they helped make it. They also described how they did it. One child
helped make dry mix, another child helped make wet mix, both helped me
get the chicken covered, and so forth. They still remember how it is
done and what things were called and why we do things a certain way.
They got their hands dirty and loved it!

Get Hands On!

I'm not necessarily saying rule out technology completely. Video games
and PC games actually do stimulate things that simple things can't.
For example, survival in war, aviation, driving a car or a tank, etc.
Internet also provides ideas for hands-on things to do, like making
videos for youtube. Their ideas on claymen were sparked by these
videos. It also helps us with information like translating German
words from their toys or games into English.

But do balance it out. Get them sparked on things to do with their
hands and have them learn from what you can do with yours. Teach them
that boredom should not occur from lack of technology, it simply occurs
from lack of imagination. They can learn what imagination truly does
for their own world.

Comments

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Sunny Robinson 8 years agofrom Tennessee

Oh you can do so much better than listening to Dora the Explorer for sure. My youngest likes to make up songs and do her own 'adventures'. I hope you tell us what you end up doing! After reading your stuff, you'd probably do something hilarious and creative.

A lot of us always need ideas and prompts to get us going. I'm personally stuck in a rut right now and need to dig myself back out for their sakes. Writing this and reading Nanny's hub inspired me to be serious (and fun) about this. ;)

So, turn off the Dora and get to Explorin'! Lol.

Sheila 8 years agofrom The Other Bangor

Ok -- ya got me fired up to try more inventive ways of spending the morning than listening to Dora the Explorer shouting everything at the top of her irritatingly cheerful voice!

ralwus 8 years ago

Great hub. Kids need to be inspired by parents, grandparents and other family members as well as through reading about the wonderful things in our world. I was sparked as a youth by empty thread spools and string and watching dad make things with his bare hands and simple tools. I was intrigued with mom's sewing and crocheting as well as noodle making too. Gardening was eventful as I learned of many bugs.

Raven King 8 years agofrom Cabin Fever

Hi Sunny. Good hub. Nanny Joat recommended this hub. This is a nice way for families to get together and spend quality time rather than being a zombie in front of whatever electronics.

Author

Sunny Robinson 8 years agofrom Tennessee

*blush* You inspired me! I can't help it. I have a feeling we'll be co-conspirators on a lot of hubs. Your reply to my comment on your hub - I'ma get to that right away but I just want to say for the record that you gave very good tips.

Nanny J.O.A.T. 8 years agofrom Somewhere over the rainbow

Well, will you look at this! I'm speechless! Totally speechless! Thank you for the dedication... I shall immediately henceforth and forthwith return the favor back on the batteries hub....Dang! a dedication!

*snoopy dance!!*

You took my little idea and brought a whole new dimension to it - way to go!!!!